Mohammed Shami asked to appear for SIR hearing in Kolkata

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami found himself briefly off the cricketing pitch and in the realm of electoral formalities, as he was summoned for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) verification hearing in Kolkata, officials said on Tuesday.

Shami had been asked to appear on Monday at a school in Jadavpur, along with his brother Mohammed Kaif. However, national duty called elsewhere — the fast bowler is currently in Rajkot, turning out for Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy — making his presence in Kolkata impossible.

He subsequently approached the Election Commission seeking fresh dates, and the hearing has now been rescheduled between 9 and 11 January, officials confirmed.

The Bengal pacer is registered as a voter in Ward 93 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, which falls under the Rashbehari Assembly constituency. Election officials clarified that the summons was issued after discrepancies were found in the Enumeration Forms submitted by Shami and his brother.

Though a native of Uttar Pradesh, Shami’s journey has long been entwined with Kolkata. He moved to the city at a young age, where his cricketing talent was nurtured under the mentorship of former Bengal Ranji captain Sambaran Bandyopadhyay — a path that eventually led him to don the Bengal jersey and rise to national prominence.

With PTI inputs